scrutinize
verb
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Scrutinize This Word's Etymology
Scrutinize the history of scrutinize far back enough and you wind up sifting through trash: the word comes from Latin scrutari, which means "to search, to examine," and scrutari likely comes from scruta, meaning "trash," the etymology evoking one who searches through trash for anything of value. The noun scrutiny preceded scrutinize in English, and in its earliest 15th century use referred to a formal vote, and later to an official examination of votes. Scrutinize was established in the 17th century with its familiar "to examine closely" meaning, but retained reference to voting with the meaning "to examine votes" at least into the 18th century. And while the term scrutineer can be a general term referring to someone who examines something, it is also sometimes used specifically as a term for an election poll watcher.
Examples of scrutinize in a Sentence
Kif Leswing, CNBC, 3 Mar. 2025
Animal researchers know that their work is heavily scrutinized by animal rights activists, who are looking for vulnerabilities to galvanize the public around.
—Celia Ford, Vox, 3 Mar. 2025
The next phase – which is just starting – is deploying AI agents to scrutinize this data and take actions in lieu of humans doing so.
—Gene Marks, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2025
Comments by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) have been scrutinized by acting D.C. U.S. Attorney Ed Martin as part of an initiative to prosecute threats against public officials.
—Andrew Solender, Axios, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scrutinize
Cite this Entry
“Scrutinize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scrutinize. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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scrutinize
verb
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